Aidan Stanger wrote:
Ian Jelf wrote:

writes
I mourn the demise of the conductor - and that is one of the main
reasons for the demise of the Routemaster. Cost, I mean -
cheaper to pay one person than two.
Sadly yes. But I believe it's a false economy. Having extra
people on hand helps with all sorts of things, mot least security,
limiting damage and making people feel safer (and therefore
happier to use public transport).

Does anyone know what the running cost difference between
Routemasters and their replacements is? Even if the Routemaster's
no faster, its extra cost of a conductor is offset by fuel savings
(and with oil prices going the way they are, I'm sure that must be
significant). And some of these new buses are so poorly ventilated
- if you want to do better than a Routemaster, you really need air
conditioning,

Well actually, all you need is some decent ventilation. Why on earth
don't people design buses with air vents at the front? Also, in hot
weather, why can't buses be driven with front doors open? Is there an
interlock that prevents this? I was on a single decker in Brentford on
a very hot day recently, and the driver kept the front door open all the
time; it was wonderful to feel a flow of air for once.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)